What Do You Want Your Legacy to Be?

Posted by Steven Gordon83sc on April 23, 2018

As I get older, I am finding that I ask myself increasingly, "What will my legacy be?" When I started my career, almost 15 years ago, I thought my legacy would be whatever career goal I would achieve. Then something changed; I started working with LGBTQ youth in my mid-20's. I was exposed to the isolation, trauma, violence, and discrimination so many LGBTQ youth face, especially street involved youth and youth of color. As my work progressed, the idea of legacy became secondary as being present to support these young people became the primary purpose of the work. More than a decade after starting my journey, former young people who have become productive adults, began to reach out to me and express how much my time and attention to their lives have meant to them. The more young people reached out, the more I began to realize what my legacy is: them, the next generation of leadership.

Coretta Scott-King wrote "Struggle is a never-ending process. Freedom is never really won, you earn it and win it in every generation." The next generation certainly has a lot to fight for; protection of LGBTQ rights, economic equality, immigration rights and gun control to name a few. To do this, these young people need the support of LGBTQ adults and allies. The heart of The Pride Network’s mission is to prepare youth for the challenges of protecting and changing their communities. To do this, we need your support. Please consider donating to The Pride Network. All donations go directly to our programming. You can donate hereand be a part of The Pride Network legacy.